ACLU of Maine Calls on Legislators to Protect Rights of Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers

Augusta - The ACLU of Maine will testify before the Judiciary Committee today in favor of two bills that would protect the workplace rights of pregnant women and nursing mothers. LD 777 would ensure that employers provide certain workplace accommodations to employees with nursing children, while LD 830 would ensure that employers provide pregnant employees with the same reasonable accommodations as employees with disabilities.<br />
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Currently, some employers refuse to make even modest, temporary changes to physical work requirements or workspace to help pregnant women and nursing mothers continue working. These bills both seek to clarify in law that failing to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees is a violation of the Maine Human Rights Act.<br />
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<em>The following can be attributed to Shenna Bellows, executive director of the ACLU of Maine:</em><br />
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&ldquo;Legislators should close the gap in Maine&rsquo;s human rights law and put an end to workplace discrimination against pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. We should be looking for ways to help women and mothers continue working, not forcing them out of their jobs. These bills make only minor changes to existing law, but they will make vast improvements in the lives of women and their families.&rdquo;